Lift Off to Mars: Documentary on space travel to Mars

Will space travel to Mars be possible in the future? Astronaut Thomas Pesquet hopes to be part of a crew lifting off to the red planet.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet spent six and a half months on the International Space Station ISS, which brings together researchers from all over the world. He conducted experiments in space to find out more about the potential of human spaceflight. Could we really send people to Mars? Thomas Pesquet was part of the crew of the ISS expedition 50/51 and spent 196 days on board the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts were preparing for the moment mankind leaves its home to explore other celestial bodies like Mars, or the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The journey would lead through the most hostile environment of all: the vacuum of space. In the documentary, Thomas Pesquet describes the everyday challenges that await space travelers in their search for new worlds. Half of the experiments carried out on board the ISS have to do with human survival in space. On the ground, meanwhile, research laboratories around the world are dealing with the physiological problems associated with life in zero gravity, and space agencies are conducting isolation experiments under realistic conditions to find out what qualities astronauts need. Even the best-prepared missions can be jeopardized by the psychological problems that are inevitable during very long flights. Europeans, Russians and Americans are also working together on the technical aspects of interplanetary travel. Improving spacecraft propulsion, recycling waste, protecting astronauts from cosmic rays, developing ergonomic space suits and human-robot interfaces are just some of the issues being investigated on the ISS.